Notes

Based on your reading, are children who reach developmental milestones (walking, talking) earlier than their peers the same ones who have higher academic ability in later years? Support your answer using the principles of physical, cognitive, and/or linguistic development with a specific example.

Children who reach developmental milestones prior to their peers will not necessarily have higher academic ability in later years.


I do not agree that children who reach a development milestone earlier than their peers means that they will have greater academic success. For example my son is eleven and he walked way earlier than our friend's son who is the exact same age. So far in school my son is not as high academically as our friends son. My son has to work very hard for his good grades and the other boy just seems to have it naturally. I agree with the text when they talk about the nature and nurture and the question of how much is nature and how much is nurture and that they both o play a roll in influencing intelligence (Ormrod, 2014. p125). Genetic and environmental factors also play a roll in the academic success of a student. If one comes from a family that is able to provide love and nurturing then it will help a student to a point but genetics and nature also play a roll. Therefore i do not think that a person can base the academic success of someone based on whether or not they talked or walked sooner than others or at an earlier age than others.

What strategies can teachers use to make socioeconomic differences between students less visible in the classroom? Which strategies will you apply in your future classroom? Why?